Proof reading is an important part of the Messenger production, as it makes sure the Messenger is easy to read.
Copy for proofing will be sent to you by email with an attachment – please return as an attachment as this will make it easier to store and edit articles after proofing.
Articles sent out for proofing should have a file name followed by an underscore and a number (i.e._1 or _2). Please return your proofed copy with the same file name but increase the number after the underscore by one (e.g. an article with the file name ‘Tesco Superstore_1’ should be returned with the file name ‘Tesco Superstore_2’).
We will send out articles for proofing in the 3-4 weeks before the Messenger goes to print. Please return proofed articles to the office by email as soon as you can, we will normally try to allow at least 24 hours before we need them back.
On the weekend the Messenger goes to the printers we will send out any remaining articles on Friday evening to be returned by email on Saturday at 12noon
Things to look out for:
spelling mistakes
grammatical errors
things that don't quite make sense
double spaces between words
Pay special attention to words that sound the same but are spelt differently and have different meanings. For instance: there and their, two and too
Punctuation errors and internal consistency (e.g. names spelt correctly all the through the text).
Please don’t use ‘track changes’, just correct the mistakes as you think they should be.
We also welcome general suggestions and comments about the content but please do not make editorial changes to the body of the article. Make proofing amendments only and add suggestions and comments separately at the end of the proofed copy.
If you have any concerns about the content, if you think we’ve got something wrong or we’ve taken an approach you disagree with, please add comments to the end of the article. Amendments can still be made after proof-reading. We keep discussions about content confidential within the Messenger so people can freely express their opinions.
We always need help writing good headlines so all suggestions are welcomed. If a headline has a line through it, it means it’s a working title and requires a new one. Try to avoid words like ‘Burngreave’ and ’local’ wherever possible